Module 1 - Case Organizations and Human Resource Management (HRM) Assignment Overview A firm’s human resources are the people in an organization that are crucial to its performance and the quality of work life within it. Unlike computers, human beings have the potential to grow and develop, to increase our depth, complexity and capacity over time. Human resource management can be defined as designing management systems to ensure that human talent is used effectively and efficiently to accomplish organizational objectives. Furthermore, HRM is considered the nuts and bolts of an organization. Thus, managers and leaders should focus on investing and developing their human resources who have the capacity to make significant contributions to the organization’s overall mission. Many organizations have noticed the importance of continuously training their employees and offering educational incentive programs to help keep employees up-to-date in their fields because in a significant number of cases, people actually get worse at their jobs over time. Performance can be enhanced if an employee is able to learn new ways of conceptualizing complex situations and deciphering abstract information. An employee should have knowledge of new research and advancements in his or her respective field in order to be able to adapt and overcome any organizational change. By performing at higher levels and being productive, an employee starts creating value for an organization. Most employees are evaluated by the value they create. Top managers seek employees who can bring value to an organization. When employees feel appreciated, they tend to perform at higher levels, producing more value. Unfortunately, most organizations are unable to “indulge” their employees and as a result, employees all over the world feel neglected and inundated. Interestingly enough, Schwartz, Jones, and McCarthy (2010) explain that: Only 38 percent of employees  worldwide believe their senior managers  are genuinely interested in their well-being. More than 50 percent feel they’re treated as if they don’t matter at all or that they’re just another part of the organization to be managed. Only one out of every ten employees feels they’re treated as vital corporate assets (p. 162). With employees all over the world feeling like they “don’t matter” in their organizations, it is important for upper level administrators to continuously develop their leadership strategies. Furthermore, with organizations constantly evolving, strategic human resource management is the optimum way to enhance performance levels. At IBM, for example, a thousand software developers working in different time zones have been given the flexibility to decide when they work. Different strategies should be implemented in organizations all over the world to help “humanize” the workplace. Reference: Schwartz, T., Jones, J., & McCarty, C. (2010). The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working . New York, NY: Free Press. (This book is no ...

1. Module 1 - Case
Organizations and Human Resource Management (HRM)
Assignment Overview
A firm’s human resources are the people in an organization that
are crucial to its performance and the quality of work life within
it. Unlike computers, human beings have the potential to grow
and develop, to increase our depth, complexity and capacity
over time. Human resource management can be defined as
designing management systems to ensure that human talent is
used effectively and efficiently to accomplish organizational
objectives. Furthermore, HRM is considered the nuts and bolts
of an organization. Thus, managers and leaders should focus on
investing and developing their human resources who have the
capacity to make significant contributions to the organization’s
overall mission. Many organizations have noticed the
importance of continuously training their employees and
offering educational incentive programs to help keep employees
up-to-date in their fields because in a significant number of
cases, people actually get worse at their jobs over time.
Performance can be enhanced if an employee is able to learn
new ways of conceptualizing complex situations and
deciphering abstract information. An employee should have
knowledge of new research and advancements in his or her
respective field in order to be able to adapt and overcome any
organizational change. By performing at higher levels and being
productive, an employee starts creating value for an
organization. Most employees are evaluated by the value they
create. Top managers seek employees who can bring value to an
organization. When employees feel appreciated, they tend to
perform at higher levels, producing more value. Unfortunately,
most organizations are unable to “indulge” their employees and
as a result, employees all over the world feel neglected and
inundated. Interestingly enough, Schwartz, Jones, and McCarthy
(2010) explain that:
Only 38 percent of employees

2. worldwide believe their senior managers
are genuinely interested in their well-being. More than 50
percent feel they’re treated as if they don’t matter at all or that
they’re just another part of the organization to be managed.
Only one out of every ten employees feels they’re treated as
vital corporate assets
(p. 162).
With employees all over the world feeling like they “don’t
matter” in their organizations, it is important for upper level
administrators to continuously develop their leadership
strategies. Furthermore, with organizations constantly evolving,
strategic human resource management is the optimum way to
enhance performance levels. At IBM, for example, a thousand
software developers working in different time zones have been
given the flexibility to decide when they work. Different
strategies should be implemented in organizations all over the
world to help “humanize” the workplace.
Reference: Schwartz, T., Jones, J., & McCarty, C. (2010).
The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working
. New York, NY: Free Press. (This book is not required).
Case Assignment
Drawing on the material in the background readings and doing
additional research, please prepare a 3- to 4-page paper (not
including the cover and reference pages) in which you:
Research the role of HR management in any organization. Next,
what does human capital mean and why is important?
What can HR do to help employees feel as if they do matter?
As an HR manager, how would you humanize the workforce?
Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated on the following points:
Precision: Does the paper address the question(s) or task(s)?
Clarity: Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated
properly? Are responses made through paraphrasing and
synthesis of concepts? (Or is there excessive use of quotations?)
Are headings included in all papers longer than 2 pages?
Breadth: Is the full breadth of the subject addressed?

3. Depth: Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth?
Grammar, spelling, and vocabulary: Is the paper well-written?
Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary suitable to graduate-
level work?
Referencing (citations and references): Does the paper use
citations and quotation marks when appropriate?
Critical thinking: Is the subject thought about critically (i.e.,
accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely)?
Module 1 - SLP
Organizations and Human Resource Management (HRM)
Disengaged Employees
Disengaged employees and counterproductive behaviors have
become the norm in many organizations, and as a result,
organizations are implementing more stringent policies,
enforcing regular trainings, and installing cameras throughout
the workforce. Examples of counterproductive activities include
daydreaming, looking busy, moonlighting, and even
cyberloafing. When an employee is daydreaming, he or she
appears to be working but in reality is distracted by non-work-
related thoughts and fantasies. When an employee is looking
busy, he or she pretends to be busy or overwhelmed with work.
An employee who is moonlighting uses company time and
resources to complete personal tasks. An employee who is
cyberloafing uses a company computer to send personal emails,
chat online, or use the Internet for their personal satisfaction.
The following table represents signs of employee
disengagement:
Signs of Being Physically
Signs
Meaning to HR Management
Implications
Tardiness
Intentionally arriving to work late or leaving work early
Punctuality issues
Long or Excessive Breaks

4. Intentionally taking long breaks or too many breaks
Productivity issues
Missing Meetings
Intentionally neglecting important work functions
Reliability issues
Disregarding Deadlines
Intentionally being careless
Commitment issues
Excessive Absences
Intentionally disrupting the workflow
Dependability issues
High-quality organizational citizens refrain from
counterproductive activities and being disengaged from their
organization.
For this SLP, you will write a paper describing why you or
someone you know has been disengaged from the organization.
You will provide specific examples throughout your paper.
Furthermore, you will discuss solutions for each issue that you
discuss from an HR manager’s perspective.
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your paper should be 2–4 pages, not including the cover sheet
and reference page. You are expected to deal with these issues
in an integrated fashion, rather than treating them as a series of
individual questions to be answered one by one and left at that.
You will be particularly assessed on:
Your completion of all the steps in the exercise.
Your ability to synthesize information and present a concise and
meaningful paper.
The clarity and quality of your writing.
SLP Assignment Expectations (Structure)
Make sure that you use your own language (rather than copying
sentences from the article).
Your paper will be graded based on the following criteria:
Precision, Clarity, Breadth, Depth, Grammar/Vocabulary,
Referencing, and Application.
Use 12-point type size (Times New Roman), double-spacing,

5. and one-inch margins. Add a cover page and a references list.
Cite your sources: APA Style - Trident requires all PhD work to
be in APA form. We also encourage all other students to comply
with guidelines for proper citation of references. You may use
the tutorial found on the following link (press “view the
tutorial”):
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-
tutorial.aspx?apaSessionKey=4532A4A4911C1E8D5E885C1417
39A382
Course Materials/Bibliography
Module 1
Required Material
Lindley, Clyde J. (1984). Putting ''Human'' into Human
Resource Management. Public Personnel Management, Volume
13, Issue 4, pp. 501–510.
David Baker. (1999). Strategic human resource management:
performance, alignment, management. Librarian Career
Development, Volume 7, Issue 5, pp. 51–63. ISSN 0968-0810.
G. Roos, Lisa Fernström, S. Pike. (2004). Human resource
management and business performance measurement. Measuring
Business Excellence, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 28–37.
Dery, Kristine and MacCormick, Judith S. (2012). Engaged or
just connected?: Smartphones and employee engagement.
Organizational dynamics, Volume 41, Issue 3, pp. 194–201.
Fred Luthans and Suzanne J. Peterson. (2002). Employee
engagement and manager self-efficacy. Journal of Management
Development, Volume 21, Issue 5, pp. 376–387